the "silly tank"

that's what my youngest calls my 20H now, because it's so fun to sit and watch when the shrimps and kuhlis swarm around after food. Most times, it just looks blank like this:

I rearranged the anubias around the rocks to try and make it look nicer. The kuhlis hide under them most of the time- tank just doesn't have enough plant cover for them to feel safe, I suppose. And the striped four are much shyer than the black ones- they bolt and hide if people bang the door nearby. The rotala stems keep coming uprooted, I need to find some other plants to grow in here, or maybe try moss on the rocks again.

When I replaced the sponges in the window tank, I cut the old ones in halves to make semicircles and propped them in here. It creates more hiding spots for the kuhlis, and the shrimps pick over the sponge material. For a while the striped four regularly hung out under and behind the sponges, but now they are always under the rock and I usually see five or six of the black ones under the sponge instead.

I had been considering getting rid of this tank, but my kid enjoys watching it so much, decided it should stay for now. So it needs more plants, to be more presentable and coax the kuhlis out. It still makes a good spare tank to hold an angelfish if needed, although I might re-home the seven black kuhlis and get a few more striped ones. I like the striped ones better, simply because I can tell them apart, so they have names. Plus, Albert I've had the longest- over four years- so I would feel guilty giving him up. The four newer black ones never got named at all, I can't tell them apart so although I admire their healthy appearance and amusing antics, I don't feel as attached to them.